celebrity used for good

All too often, you see some celebrity endorsing a product or an organization or even a political candidate. I'm not a fan of people taking that endorsement at face value and following blindly simply because they might like said celebrity, but I do think that celebrity can be a good way to draw attention to something that you can then research yourself. Here are two organizations I found out about that way.


A Journey for 9/11 is an organization/endeavour that I heard about a couple weeks ago, but last night, I heard an interview with George Martin, former NFL player for the New York Giants, who is the founder of the organization.

September 11, 2001 is seemingly a day that no one will ever forget. As time passes, though, and the day recedes further and further into the past, for many people who weren't directly affected by the events of the day, the feelings and memories of the day fade as well. I've heard a number of people say that it's silly to keep remembering what happened that day or to have any feeling at all about that day anymore - it was so long ago. But for some people, like the first responder rescue and recovery workers, the effects of "so long ago" continue to this day. Many are experiencing serious physical health problems from their efforts that day, ranging from toxins that they inhaled which continue to compromise their circulatory systems to the trauma they experienced at what they had to see and sift through during the day and the devastating aftermath. Many are unable to afford the health care necessary to treat their problems, so George Martin embarked on a mission to walk across America, from the George Washington Bridge in New York to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, to raise awareness about this situation as well as to raise funds. He has some corporate sponsorship, but much of the money being raised comes from everyday citizens. He has people who are making the journey with him, but he is the one who is personally walking the entire route. The journey started in September of 2007 and is expected to conclude Spring of this year.


Friends & Helpers is an organization that I heard about on the morning radio show Kevin and Bean. It's an organization spearheaded by Kevin's wife, and the organization is designed to assist victims of abuse who often leave their abusive situations with no resources at their disposal. The organization provides them with some necessary physical items but also with counseling and assistance programs and also has specific programs in providing school supplies and an assistance program for the schools in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. All overhead costs are covered by the organization, so all donations go directly to those being helped by the various programs.